Why Ricciardo's Hamilton dream risks an Alonso nightmare

Daniel Ricciardo's Red Bull contract expires at the end of 2018 and he has a choice - stay put or move on, seeking greener pastures. But where Lewis Hamilton succeeded, Fernando Alonso's career highlights the danger of jumping to the wrong ship

Fernando Alonso has won two Formula 1 titles, so perhaps it is a little odd to suggest that another driver still craving world championship success should try to avoid ending up like him. The trouble with Alonso is that in the wider story of his career, the champion narrative has been replaced by one that reads 'what could have been'.

This is the fate Daniel Ricciardo risks if he rolls the dice and leaves Red Bull after this season. He is the best driver on the grid yet to win a title, so it is not at all surprising for the likes of McLaren and Renault to sniff around him given he is available. What would be surprising, if not completely nonsensical, is if Ricciardo chooses to join them.